


Benevolent Bandits

by Thatoneloser_kid



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: And the super-squad are the Merry Men, F/F, Kara is Robin Hood, Robin Hood AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-04 16:56:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15151559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatoneloser_kid/pseuds/Thatoneloser_kid
Summary: “I have a job for you and your group of thieves.” Lillian said.“We aren’t exactly in the business of undertaking favours.” Kara replied, the blood pooling in the corner of her mouth“Oh, This isn’t a favour, Hood. It is an ultimatum. Do this or you die.”Kara swallowed, lifting her chin a little. “And what is this job?”“My daughter ran off, find her and bring her too me.”





	1. Chapter 1

She wasn’t a bounty hunter, or a huntsman, she didn’t work for the rich, that was exactly what she and her Crew were against. 

 

Rob from the rich, give to the poor. 

 

It was what made them infamous across the land. 

 

The elusive bandits, no one really knew what they looked like or who they were, only that they were good people, at their core. 

 

Good people that were great with a bow. 

 

That was how it was until Kara got captured protecting Winn. 

 

She was hauled into the back of the queens carriage and knocked out with the hilt of a guardsmans sword. 

 

When she woke up she was in a damp, concrete cell shackled to the wall, not bow, not hood, no mask, which meant the queen knew her face now. She resigned herself to the fact that this would be where she live out the rest of her days. 

 

Then she was dragged to the throne room in shackles and thrown to the floor in from of the queen. 

 

She lifted her head slowly, smirking at the queen. “Your majesty, I would bow but, you know.” She motioned to the shackles on her ankles, preventing her from getting up. 

 

“I want to offer you a deal, Hood.”

 

Kara tilted her head curiously. This woman know of her work, Robin Hood was what people across the land called her, but she didn’t know her real name was Kara Danvers, which was comforting. 

 

“No offence, m’lady, but you aren’t really my type.”

 

The sharp pain of a hilt hitting her cheekbone almost sent Kara thumbing to the ground. 

 

“You will do well to shut your mouth, street rat.” One of the guards hissed.

 

Kara levelled her eyes on the queen again, the warmth of what was no doubt blood trickling down her cheek. “Lovely bunch, Ma’am.”

 

“I have a job for you and your group of thieves.” Lillian said.

 

“We aren’t exactly in the business of undertaking favours.” Kara replied, the blood pooling in the corner of her mouth

 

“Oh, This isn’t a favour, Hood. It is an ultimatum. Do this or you die.”

 

Kara swallowed, lifting her chin a little. “And what is this job?”

 

“My daughter ran off, find her and bring her too me.”

 

“Your daughter?” Kara frowned. She knew of the princess, but no one had really seen her, the front of the Royal Family was the queen and her late son. 

 

“Yes,” Lillian clicked her fingers and suddenly Kara was being unshackled and hauled to her feet, a drawing thrusted into her hands. “That’s her, bring her to me and we will forgot this incident. You don’t, and I throw you in a pit with twenty guardsmen.”

 

“All of them,” Kara countered. “All of the times we have stolen from you, you forget about those, too. And my crew are included in this deal, too, you can’t touch us.”

 

“Deal,” the queen nodded. "For your past discretions, anything from now on is punishable."

 

“I’m going to need my bow, I won’t survive out there without it.”

 

“Get this scum her bow,” Lillian ordered, and one of the guards scurried off. 

 

“What will come of the girl, when she is back?”

 

“That doesn’t concern you, bandit.”

 

“I’m not going to bring someone back to their death, your majesty, I am no huntsmen.”

 

“No harm will come to the girl, she is merely trying to avoid marrying the prince of Metropolis.”

 

Kara nodded, accepting her bow. 

 

“Now, be gone. You have until the years end.”

 

“How much of a head start does she have?”

 

“A few weeks.” Lillian waved her hand dismissively. “I will find you if you try and desert this job, Hood.”

 

“I will have the girl back to you before years end.” Kara swore, then she was being thrown roughly out of the castle. 

 

Her crew looked surprised to see her, Alex grabbing her face and checking for injuries. 

 

“I’m fine,” Kara assured, pushing her fussing sister away from her. “She let me go because she needs us to do a job for her. We do this and all of our past discretions against her will be forgotten.”

 

“A job?” Barry frowned. “What kind of job?”

 

“All we have to do is find her daughter and return her to the queen.” Kara said. “We have until years end, that gives us five months to find this woman.”

 

“When do we leave?” Sam asked. 

 

“It has to be now, she had a few weeks on us.”

 

Kara pulled on a fresh, leather tunic as well as leather breeches and her hood. 

 

Alex came to her as she was lacing up her boots. 

 

“We were coming for you.”

 

“I don’t doubt that,” Kara smiled up at her sister, giving the laces one last tug before standing, pulling her quiver over her shoulder. “I’m glad you didn’t, it might have gotten us all killed.”

 

“Do we have a rough direction of where this woman will be headed?”

 

“The guard grumbled something about Smallville before throwing me out on my ass. That’s where she was last seen, I think.”

 

“That is a week and a halves ride from here.”

 

“We better get going, then.”

 

They got to Smallville in eight days, missing a few nights sleep to make up some lost ground. They ran into little trouble on their travels, and the people of Smallville were more than happy to help them when they went around the tavern asking if anyone had seen the princess. 

 

“She was here a few days ago,” Kara said, pulled down her mask when she reached their camp. “Everyone seems to think she headed in the direction of Gotham.”

 

“That’s not far,” Barry hummed. “We should rest, she seems to be spending a few days on each city, we can catch up to her in a few days.”

 

Boy, was Barry wrong. 

 

This girl eluded them for a full two months. Moving from city to city; Opal, Central, Star, the Harbour. 

 

But they found her, eventually, about a two week ride outside Keystone. 

 

“Luthor,” Kara called as she and her crew hopped off their horses, catching the woman’s attention. 

 

Lena was on her feet in seconds. “I have nothing for you, _bandits.”_

 

“You’re coming with us, Luthor.”

 

Then Lena took off, making Kara roll her eyes. 

 

“Funnel her into the woods, I’ll get her there.”

 

Kara ran toward the woods while her crew got back on their horses and began herding Lena toward Kara. 

 

Kara was waiting for a few seconds, leaning lazily against a tree, before she heard Lena coming, almost bored by how predictable people can be. 

 

Kara had an arrow out and in her bow in no time, and the princess just managed to stop before impaling herself, the tip of the arrow touching the skin between her eyes. 

 

“I wouldn’t run, Princess.” Kara drawled. 

 

“You’re Robin Hood,”

 

“My reputation precedes me.” She grumbled sarcastically. 

 

“What do you-“

 

“Your mother sent us,” Kara said. “You’re coming home, voluntarily or otherwise.”

 

“You can’t,” Lena argued. “You have no idea what you’re getting involved in.”

 

“It’s none of my business, all I know is that I have a choice, bring you home or die.”

 

“Please, you don’t understand. She’ll kill me.” 

 

“She swore no harm would come to you,” Kara said just as her crew appeared. 

 

“And you _believe_ her? I thought you were smarter than that, thief.”

 

Kara rolled her eyes. “Shackle her, she can go on the back of my horse.”

 

“Please don’t do this,” Lena pleaded, what looked like genuine fear on her eyes before Sam put a sack over her head. 

 

They had about a month and a halves journey in front of them, since now they didn’t have to zig-zag from town to town looking for this girl.

 

The first night they stopped and made camp Alex took watch, and Lena just sat by the fire, staring unfocused at the flames. 

 

Kara wasn’t even sure she had moved between her going to bed and waking up. 

 

The first time Lena saw Kara’s face was the morning after they had captured her. Kara had just come back from washing up at the lake and hadn’t put her hood or mask on yet. 

 

Lena had looked up from the food she was playing with but not eating, a little frown appearing on her face when she looked at Kara. 

 

That hadn’t been the first time she had had this reaction, Sam had the same look on her face when Kara hand pulled down her mask before applying pressure to the wound on her side. 

 

(“You’re a kid,” Sam had said breathlessly. 

 

“Nobody ever suspects the children.” Kara had replied with a little grin.)

 

“You’re younger than I thought you would be.” Lena commented as Kara kneeled beside the fire, picking up a piece of meat. 

 

“Twenty three,”

 

“You’re barely an adult.”

 

“You have to grow up really quick where I came from. We don’t get the chance at childhood.” Kara glanced at Lena before standing. “You should really eat.”

 

“I’m not really hungry.”

 

“We can’t stop when you are,”

 

“That’s fine,”

—

Kara was surprised that, over the next two weeks, Lena didn’t make a break for it, not once, she had expected more of a fight from the girl but she just remained mostly silent, not even complaining about the shackles around her ankles. 

 

With each passing day Kara felt the guilt of what was really happening here seep more and more into her heart. She hated that this was how it had to be.

 

Kara was out with Barry hunting one day when they came across a golden carriage. It was an easy job, and when they rode back into camp with bags of gold and jewels the only person who was surprised was Lena. 

 

“The closest town is Keystone, we should stop by before we head off.” Barry suggested. 

 

It took them less than a day to get to Keystone, Alex, Barry, Sam and Winn went about distributing the gold while Kara went to the market to buy them some vegetables for dinner that night, Lena tagging along. 

 

“Robin,” Kara seemed almost startled when she was pulled into a hug by a small, frail woman. “Thank you, your generosity all those months ago allowed us to get our son the medical care he needed. He wouldn’t have survived without you.”

 

“It was our pleasure, ma’am.” Kara said, and actually bowed to this woman, who Lena thought should be bowing for Kara. Lena quickly shook that thought away, however, because that was the spoiled princess in her talking. It wasn’t about hierarchy out here, everyone was on the same level, had the same amount of respect for each other. Kara lowered her hood but kept her mask in place. “How is he now? I hope he is well.”

 

“Very well, he had been fashioning bows out of anything he can find and accompanies his father on hunts.” The woman’s eyes were shinning, and Lena almost understand why Kara did this. “He said he wanted to be like you when he gets older.”

 

Kara chuckled, ducking her head. “I’m sure there is someone else more deserving of your boys adoration.” 

 

The woman smiled, shaking her head. “I don’t.”

 

“There are more riches being handed out, ma’am. My crew will be dropping some off at your home any minute now.”

 

“You and your crew are one of the only good aspects of this land, Robin.”

 

“Thank you, ma’am.” Kara ducked her head respectfully. 

 

The woman excused herself and Kara continued her shopping, glancing back at an almost dazed Lena. 

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just- you saved that boys life.”

 

“No,” Kara laughed, handing over gold (more than the food was worth) to the vendor. “The healer did.”

 

“But you gave the family the means to afford a healer.”

 

“I didn’t save the boys life.”

 

Lena eyed Kara, and Kara stared back. Lena didn’t understand this woman, she could not understand the absolute selflessness of this group of bandits. This wasn’t about riches, power, fame, this was about helping people who don’t have the means to help themselves. Helping those who aren’t helped by their monarchs. 

 

“What?” Kara asked unsurely, a little smile on her face, probably due to the fact Lena was looking at her with something akin to adoration. 

 

Lena shook her head slowly. “Nothing,”

 

Kara nodded, but neither woman looked away until there was a high pitched squeal of Robin’s name and then they were surrounded by children, at least ten of them. 

 

“Well, if it isn’t the Keystone Kidlettes.” Kara greeted happily. “You guys sure aren’t kids anymore. You have to be at least, what? Twenty?”

 

Lena couldn’t help but smile at Kara’s playfulness, and at the children who all chimed back their ages, none older than ten. 

 

“It’s been so long since you’ve been by, Robin!” One of the kids called. 

 

“Yeah, you go away for so long,”

 

“I know, but I have to tend to other villages, too.” Kara said, lowering her voice to a whisper. “But, between us, you’re my favourite.”

 

That made the children beam, which made Lena smile. 

 

“No, is this little Ava,” Kara gasped. “The last time I saw you you were this tall,” Kara crouched down, lowering her hand to a few inches from the grass. 

 

“Was not!” The little girl argued. 

 

“Before we know it you’re going to be this big,” Kara picked up the girl and held her up over her head, making the five year old giggle. 

 

“Can you come back more often?” Ava asked as Kara lowered her back to the grass. 

 

“I will certainly try, little one.” Kara promised, tapping the little girl on the nose, making her giggle. “It’s almost supper time, you guys should be getting back to your houses.”

 

The children scampered in all different directions, and Kara watched the go with a soft smile before turning to Lena, nudging her head in the direction of their horse.

 

“Let’s go, we should make some ground before nightfall."

 


	2. Chapter 2

“She is going to kill me, you know?” Lena said one night while Kara was keeping watch. 

 

Kara ignored her, continuing to bind the arrow tip onto the shaft.

 

“She doesn’t want me around, but I know too much just to let go, she tried to poison me but killed my brother instead so I ran.”

 

“Your brother died due to an infection.”

 

“No, that’s what she told everyone.” Lena disagreed. “And as soon as I refuse to marry that insufferable John Corben from Metropolis she will kill me.”

 

“So marry him, he is a nice enough man, wealthy.”

 

“I don’t want wealth, I want happiness.” Lena argued, bristling when Kara snorted.

 

“Not in this land, princess.” Kara said. “The closest thing to happiness in this land is having a full tummy and a warm fire.”

 

“What about love?” Lena asked, sounding almost embarrassed. 

 

“Not many find it,” Kara shrugged. 

 

“Have you?”

 

“I haven’t but Alex has,”

 

“In Sam,” Lena stated, the lack of disgust in her voice preventing Kara from going on the defence. 

 

“My parents had it, too. And the people who took me in when they died, now Alex. The odds of so many people who are connected finding love is monumental, the luck has dwindled, I have resigned myself to the fact I won’t find it.”

 

“Not if you give up,”

 

Kara shrugged, giving the leather piece of string a tug before placing the arrow in her quiver. “I don’t need it, it’s not feasible for me to have it, with what I do.”

 

“Don’t you want to be happy?”

 

“The smile on the faces of mothers and fathers when they realise that they young’ins will be eating because of what my crew and I provide is happiness enough.”

 

“Why do you do it?” Lena asked and Kara glanced up at her, her pale, pretty face looking even more beautiful with the flickering fire. 

 

Kara placed the arrow that she was working on down to finish later, raising and moving to sit on the floor beside Lena, leaning back against the log. 

 

“You know why I’m so good at what I do?” Kara glanced at Lena from the corner of her eye, picking up a stick to poke the fire. Lena shook her head. “I was originally from Krypton, a land far from here. My entire village was slaughtered when I was seven, the only reason I survived was because my parents knew of the impending doom and sent me into the forest. I was on my own for years, I survived by fashioning a bow like I had seen my cousin, Kal-El do and hunting. I also survived on the hand outs of generous strangers, I wouldn’t have survived this long without those handouts.”

 

Lena watched her with a soft expression, not pity, not sympathy but maybe curiosity?

 

“I was in the woods for seven years, I had to learn to survive, Alex parents took me in when I was fourteen. They only found me because I almost killed Alex.” Kara laughed quietly at the memories. “I had a home, shelter, people. By my standards I was the richest person in the land, but by actual standards we were just scraping by, even before they took me in they were struggling.”

 

“That’s kind.”

 

“They had love, that makes people kind.” Kara said. “When I realised just how much these people were struggling to keep me alive I had to do something.”

 

“So you became a bandit?”

 

“Yeah, I took from people who had more than they could ever part with, and I gave it to people who didn’t have enough to live. I think that is fair.” Kara shrugged. “I started doing it on my own, then Alex found out and joined. Come eighteen we were out on our own, helping people. Barry was an orphan, too, he joined a few months after. Winn was running from an abusive father, Sam- Sam was a mess. She was on the brink of death when we came across her.”

 

“You said people with love end up kind,” Lena started. “You have to be the kindest person I have ever met, yet you don’t have love.”

 

“Oh, I have love. In Alex, in my parents, in my adopted parents, my crew, I have love, just not romantic love.”

 

“You’re okay with that?” Lena questioned curiously. 

 

“The thing about this line of work is that you don’t live long enough to get lonely.” Kara shrugged. 

 

“I don’t believe you.”

 

“Do I look at Alex and feel somewhat envious? Sure. But I know in myself that that it is just not for me.”

 

“You strike me as someone who has so much love to give, Robin,” Lena said. “I’ve seen you with those kids, those people, you care for them even though you don’t know them. You have so much love inside you, someone is missing out on that.”

 

“Do you think you could grow to love John?” Kara questioned curiously. 

 

“No,”

 

“What makes you so sure?”

 

“He isn’t really what I look for in a suitor.” Lena admitted and it took a few seconds before everything clicked with Kara. She had heard rumours about Sara, and how she had almost been killed after it came out that she was seeing a princess.

 

“Sara Lancelot.” Kara said, and judging from Lena’s reaction she was exactly the princess Kara assumed she was. 

 

“How do you know of Sara?”

 

“We worked together, briefly.” Kara said. “She never said anything but there has been talk of her... indiscretions.”

 

“I didn’t love her, but we did spend time together.”

 

“Sometimes we just have to do things we don’t want to.”

 

“Like marry someone I could never love? No way. But I will have to if you take me back.”

 

“I’m sorry, Lena. But this isn’t just about me. I got my team off the hook for a lot of bad stuff.” Kara looked genuinely sorry, and Lena felt her resolves crumble. “I am genuinely sorry, princess.”

 

“No, I get it. Love, right?” Lena forced a smile onto her lips and Kara almost teared up, she didn’t want to do this to this girl, but she had no choice. 

 

“Love,” Kara chuckled, nodding her head. “Sure is weakness sometimes.”

 

“Never,” Lena disagreed with a confidence that had Kara immediately believing her, without any kind of explanation. “Love is nothing but strength, it gives us the strength to do things we don’t want to do.”

 

“I’m sorry, Lena.”

 

“I know,” Lena assured, stumbling to her feet in her loosened shackles. “I’m going to try and rest. Goodnight, Robin.”

 

“Goodnight, princess.”

 

\--

 

Lena wasn’t nearly as closed off after that night, which Kara found nice, to see this girl laugh and smile was something that shook her to the core. 

 

It was throwing her off a little that she caught herself staring at Lena a little too often, that her stupid heart stuttered whenever she heard Lena laugh, and that she felt proud whenever she was the cause of that laugh. She was all sweaty palms and lingering looks and it was something she wanted no part of. 

 

It was her stupid infatuation with the princess that allowed Maxwell Lord to sneak up on them. 

 

She and Lena were out hunting at the time. 

 

“So, is it true that you have dogs at the castle?” Kara asked, her bow held tightly in her hand. 

 

“We did but they escaped and never returned.” Lena sounded sad at that admission. “Do you have dogs here?”

 

“Not many, Shepard’s for the most part.” Kara answered, reaching into her quiver and firing an arrow into the neck of a rabbit before Lena could blink. “Some as pets. I have came across few in the years I’ve spent out here, but I have come across plenty of wolves.”

 

“Wolves?” Lena frowned, placing the kill into the bag she was carrying. “They have wolves here?”

 

“No, not here. Back in Krypton, the land was surrounded by wolves and bears.”

 

“And you lived in those woods for many years?”

 

“Wolves don’t necessarily want the hunt, if I could feed them they backed off, it was bears I had to worry about, thankfully there wasn’t many.”

 

“You must be exhausted, with all of this.” Lena motioned around them. 

 

“It’s all I know. I love it out here, if your kind to nature then nature is kind back.”

 

“Apart from bears?”

 

“Well, yes, bears are cumberworlds.” Kara said and Lena chuckled, and all Kara could do was stare at her. “Stay here, I’m sure I saw a deer ahead.” She hadn’t, she just needed space. 

 

She was gone for less than a minute but when she returned Lena was looking at her with fearful eyes and Maxwell Lord had his arm wrapped around her neck, a dagger pressing against the skin on her neck. 

 

“Lord, how do you keep crawling out of the woodwork?” Kara huffed, rolling her eyes, pulling an arrow from her quiver. 

 

“You should really cover your tracked better, Hood.”

 

“Don’t make me kill you, Lord.” Kara ordered, her arrow training on Maxwells head over Lena’s left shoulder. 

 

“You wouldn’t risk this pretty girls life.” Maxwell grinned. “Everyone knows, people are looking for her, an extra bounty if we bring your head back, as well.”

 

Kara laughed. “How many times have we done this dance, Lord? You’ve never come out on top.”

 

“I’m taking the girl, and you.”

 

Kara glanced at Lena, who looked down at her hand then at Kara again, prompting Kara to look down to where Lena’s hand was resting, just over Lord’s. She motioned to his hand with her pointer finger before lowering her own, nodding minutely when Kara looked back up at her. 

 

“Last chance, Lord.”

 

“You have no leverage here,”

 

Kara released her arrow, and it whistles through the air, imbedding in Lord’s hand, causing him to cry out in pain.

 

Kara rushed forward to help Lena but skidded to a halt when Lena elbowed Lord in the ribs and flipped him over her, giving him a sharp kick in the throat before he could get up. 

 

“Wow,” Kara murmured, glancing down at a spluttering Maxwell. “That was impressive.” _Hot_ , is what she was really thinking. 

 

“My brother taught me how to fight.” Lena shrugged, smoothing out her dress. 

 

“Help me tie him up to the tree for is band of idiots to find.”

 

They tied him up, tearing open his shirt and Kara carved a same RH in his chest, beside the countless others. 

 

“One of these days I might end up with a ML on my chest, Lord.”

 

She grinned smuggly, whistling for Krypto, who trotted up alongside her. 

 

“It was fun, Lord.” Kara heaved herself up onto the horse, helping Lena up behind her. “You should know better than to threaten the life of pretty girls.” 

 

Lord glared at her but couldn’t find his voice, which made Kara smirk, starting the twenty minute ride back to camp.

 

“So, you think I’m pretty?”

 

Kara rolled her eyes, a little smile on her lips. “I think you know you’re pretty,”

 

“It still isn’t something I ever thought I would heard from you.” Lena admitted in a soft voice, sounding almost touched. 

 

“Yeah, well, you are.” Kara said stupidly with a little shrug, rolling her eyes at herself.


	3. Chapter 3

They got to the camp and told the crew what had happened, immediately packing up and leaving. 

 

Night fell quickly but they still pushed on, Kara staring up at the clear sky while Lena rested her head sleepily against her back. 

 

“What are you looking at?” Lena whispered against her back. 

 

“Stars,” Kara answered in a soft voice. “I read a book by an Italian scientist, Galileo was his name.”

 

“How did you get a book all the way from Italy?” 

 

“The king of The Harbour was carrying it when we robbed him.” Kara said nonchalantly. “It was incredible, beyond anything I could ever dream.”

 

Lena lifted her head, peering at Kara over her shoulder. “How so?”

 

“He talked of the sky, and how it is more vast than anything we could even fathom. Those stars in the sky are far away. And he discovered that Jupiter has moons, too, much like our own. But not many think fondly of his books, as they state that the world revolves around the sun, and not that everything revolves around us.” Kara was smiling widely when she turned to look at Lena, her eyes shinning. “It is truly incredible, I will let you read it when we make camp next.”

 

“I would like that,”

 

Kara felt her smile turn into something bashful, and she ducked her head dumbly. Before she could embarrass herself any further she turned away. 

 

Lena settled against her back again a few seconds later. 

 

They made camp at sunrise and Barry kept watch while everyone slept. 

 

After resting they set off again, coming across a carriage not long before nightfall. 

 

“That’s king Vandal.” Alex said as they trotted to a stop in the woods, a little bit behind the carriage. A little grin pulled across her face. “He always carries a fortune with him.”

 

“And I have the perfect plan,” Sam said with a little smirk, side eyeing Lena. 

 

Kara seemed to understand immediately. 

 

“You’re perfect bait,” Kara grinned, turning to Lena. “I have a deal for you, princess.”

 

“A deal?”

 

“Mm,” Kara hummed. “We will unshackle you for good if you play bait for the king.”

 

“Bait?”

 

“Yeah, the king knows you, yes? Stop him, act like you’re trying to get home. We will take his riches and come get you. After that you stay unshackled.”

 

“Is that a good idea?” Winn said unsurely. 

 

“Think of all the people we could help with these riches,” Barry said. 

 

“Okay, I’ll do it.” Lena agreed, making Kara grin, pulling her mask up. 

 

“Jolly good,”

 

They rode a good bit in front of the carriage and dropped Lena on the pathway. 

 

“Good luck, princess.” Kara said, disappearing into the forest with her crew. 

 

The carriage stopped a few feet from Lena, and the guardsmen got out before whispering something into the carriage. The king appeared then, dressed in his long, black rob, lined with gold, his crown sitting atop his head and his staff, gold, lined with jewels. The king looked smug as he made his way closer to Lena, who looked like she was pretending to cry. 

 

Kara and her crew made their move then, ducking stealthily inside the carriage and grabbing anything worth something.

 

Once the we’re satisfied they got back on their horses, her crew heading for the wood and Kara headed for Lena. 

 

Lena saw her coming, noting Kara’s hand that was hanging by her side. 

 

Kara gripped onto Lena’s waiting arm as she rode past, heaving her up onto the horse behind her, but not before Lena could grab the staff from the man. 

 

“Hood!” The king yelled from behind them. 

 

Kara grinned, ducking when she heard an arrow whistle by her. “Why do they insist on chasing?” Kara grumbled, turning so that she was facing Lena, her thighs resting over the startled girls. “Take the reins, princess.”

 

Kara reached around Lena and drew her bow, this cheeks practically pressing together for Kara to fire off shots. 

 

“Are you crazy?” Lena fumbled for the reins.

 

“As mad as a hatter, some have said.” Kara grinned cheekily at Lena, not that she could see it under the mask but she could tell by the crinkle of her eyes. 

 

“How have you survived this long?”

 

“Luck, for the most part.” Kara answered, sending an arrow whistling past Lena’s ear and into the chest of a guardsman. “We’re going to Gotham, don’t try and pull a fast one.”

 

“What are you-“

 

Before Lena could finish Kara had just abandoned ship, jumping from the horse and was easily caught by Alex, who came thundering past them. 

 

Kara situated herself on the back of the horse, her back against Alex's and began firing arrows at a rate Lena thought impossible. 

 

Lena could tell Kara was having a good time, she couldn’t see her face, between the Hood and the mask she was completely covered, but her body language, and the occasional ‘woop’ that left her mouth was a dead give away. 

 

The guardsmen were down in mere minutes, and Lena finally understood just how they had survived. If Kara alone could take down ten moving targets while on horseback then Lord only knows just what they were capable of as a group. 

 

Kara was grinned when she yanked down the mask from over her mouth, glancing at Lena before leaning her head back against her sister, laughing softly at something Alex said. 

 

Kara let her head roll toward Lena, her eyes filling with joy and excitement. She gave Lena a wink and a thumbs up before turning to sit properly on the horse. 

 

They reached Gotham by morning.

 

“If she is going to be helping us out we need to get her something other than that dress.” Kara said as they tied up the horses, pointing over at Lena. 

 

“What’s wrong with my dress?” Lena frowned, glancing down at her dress. 

 

“Nothing, it’s lovely.” Kara found herself looking Lena up and down, but quickly shook herself out of it. “But it isn’t exactly feasible riding with us.”

 

"Come on, I'm sure we can find you breaches and a tunic." Barry said, nudging Lena's shoulder. They left with Win and Sam came up behind Kara, clapping a hand on her shoulder. 

 

“It looks lovely,” Sam grinned, laughing when Kara levelled her with a glare from under her hood. “We aren’t taking her back to the castle.”

 

“We are,”

 

“Okay,” Sam cackled, heading into the crowed. 

 

Kara distributed the gold between the small village, shrinking up a conversation with one of the merchants when Lena caught her attention.

 

She was out of her dress and was now dressed in a tattered leather tunic, brown and cracking, cream breeches and brown boots. 

 

Kara found herself staring, this woman was beautiful, beyond anything Kara had ever seen, and she looked even more beautiful out of that pretty dress and in filthy bandit clothes. 

 

“Robin!” Kara startled at the high pitched call of her name, just barely managed the young girl who threw herself at Kara. “It’s been forever and ever since you’ve been back.”

 

“Hey, Amberlee.” Kara beamed at the little girl, set her on her hip. “Look at you, you cut your hair.”

 

“Yeah, I liked it shorter. Da wasn’t happy, said I looked like a boy, but ma said I could do what I wanted, it was my hair.”

 

“And your ma is right,” Kara playfully poked her stomach just as Lena came up beside them. 

 

“Oh, hello, ma’am.” Amberlee greeted, and Kara grinned at the young girls blush. 

 

“My my, are you blushing, Amber?”

 

“What?” The girl scoffed, punching Kara’s shoulder. “No! Shut up.”

 

“You are,” Kara laughed, tickling the girl. “Do pretty girls make you blush?”

 

“No, I-“ Amber glanced at Lena, who looked almost bashful. Amber leant into Kara’s ear and whispered. “Her eyes, Robin. They are so pretty.”

 

Kara smiled at the girls words, peering at Lena over they little girls shoulder before whispering back. “Yeah,” she agreed, smiling softly at Lena. “They really are.”

 

Lena smiled, her head dropping as she bashfully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 

 

“Do you have time for tea? Ma got some mint from the forest.”

 

“I wish we could, little one. But we only stopped by to give riches to the village.” Kara said apologetically, and Amberlee pouted. “Soon, Amber. I will be back soon.”

 

“Okay,” Amberlee sighed. 

 

“Okay,” Kara repeated. “Now, run along, your ma if probably looking for you.”

 

“Okay,” the girl said again, dropping to her feet and running off. 

 

“You know her well?” Lena questioned, watching the young girl run off. 

 

“I do,” Kara nodded, glancing at Lena before looking back at the retreating girl, smiling and waving when she glanced over her shoulder. “Her mother took me in when I was a child. I got hurt badly when I was around ten, I was delirious, I was dying. But her mother took me in and nursed me to health.”

 

“That was kind,”

 

“That’s the thing about places like this, Lena.” Kara started, turning to the woman. “It survives on the back of people looking after one and other. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t survive.”

 

“That sounds like a scary way to live,”

 

“Not if you have a village of good people.” Kara said. “Come on, you need a hood and mask. If everyone knows about you we need to disguise you.”

 

“Okay,”

 

They found a red hood and mask for Lena, and she got changed at the camp, appearing out of the trees in her new attire.  

 

Kara was sitting sideways on her horse, scratching the animals ear as she spoke to Barry. 

 

She glanced up when she saw movement, doing a double take when she realised it was Lena, dressed in her new bandit gear, and it hit Kara just as hard as it had at the market. Kara just stared, watching Lena as she rolled her eyes at Sam's playful, verging on flirtatious, remark.

 

Kara startled when Barry slapped her leg, arching an eyebrow at Kara. “That’s a good look on you.”

 

“Oh, shut up.” Kara huffed. 

 

They settled for the night, Barry and Winn keeping watch while Alex and Sam settled a little ways away from the camp for some privacy, Lena and Kara settled in the makeshift tent. 

 

“Do you believe him? Galileo?” Lena questioned, not taking her eyes off of the stars. 

 

“Which part?” Kara asked, tucking her arm under her head. 

 

“Everything revolving around the sun.”

 

“He has evidence,” Kara shrugged. “So I do believe him. And, thinking about it, the notion that everything revolves around this planet? How self centred of us, acting like we are the most important thing out there.”

 

“You don’t think so?”

 

“No,” Kara let her head loll to the side. “I think we are just insignificant creatures put on this planet, some to suffer and some not.”

 

“Comforting,” Lena laughed. 

 

“Do you? Believe him, I mean.”

 

“I do,” Lena nodded. 

 

“You haven’t tried to escape.” Kara pointed out, prompting Lena to look at her. “Why?”

 

“Because I know what is at stake here, I know why you’re doing this. I don’t want you dead, so I plan to go back home, agreeing to marry the prince then run away again.”

 

“Well, thank you.” Kara smiled. “For not making this any more difficult that it had to be.”

 

“Thank you for not being horrible like anyone else would have been.”

 

Kara nodded once, returning her eyes to the sky. 

 

“Your real name isn’t Robin, is it?” Lena questioned, and Kara felt nerves bubble in her stomach but she played it cool. 

 

“No,”

 

“Why do you use Robin, then?”

 

“To protect those I love.”

 

“But Alex uses her own name,” Lena commented. 

 

“That was a choice of her own,” Kara answered simply.

 

Lena nodded, turning on her side, her back to Kara. "Goodnight, Not-Robin."

 

Kara huffed out a laugh, tucking her arms under her head as she stared at the back of Lena's head. "G'night, princess.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Lena fit right in, both looking and acting the part when they would rob people, she was even getting better with a bow, with a little help from Kara. 

 

“You’re dropping your elbow,” Kara pointed out for what felt like the hundredth time, exasperated. 

 

“I’m trying, Robin.” Lena huffed. 

 

“You are over thinking it.” Kara said. 

 

“Because you’re in me head!” Lena shot back. 

 

“Close your eye,” Kara ordered, and Lena obeyed instantly. Kara moved closer, slipping up behind Lena, placing a palm on her stomach. “Straighten up, you’re a princess.”

 

Lena inhaled sharply but straightened. 

 

“Load your bow.” Kara whispered against her ear. Lena loaded the bow and pulled back. “Your elbow must stay at this angle.” Kara ran her hands from Lena’s elbow to her armpit then down her side, prompting Lena to take a deep breath in. “You drop and your shot suffers.”

 

Lena nodded slowly. 

 

“Open your eyes,” Kara said, pointing toward the tree, her cheek almost pressed against Lena's. “That is all you see, you see the spot you want to hit down the length of your arrow, nothing else.”

 

Lena fixed the string against her cheek, staring at the spot on the tree she wanted to hit. 

 

“You have this, you are _good_ at this, Lena.”

 

Lena nodded minutely, taking a breath in and releasing it slowly through her nose, releasing the arrow toward the end of the breath. 

 

The arrow embedded in the tree exactly where Lena had envisioned it landing, making Lena grin widely. 

 

“Told you,” Kara said, only realising that her hands were still all over Lena when the woman peered over her shoulder at her. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have touched you without asking.”

 

“It’s okay, it really helped.” Lena assured, her eyes looking everywhere bar Kara, not that Kara minded, she didn’t think she could look at Lena, either.

 

“We should head back, we need to wash up before supper.” 

 

They was the worse suggestion Kara could have made. By the time they got back to camp everyone had already washed up so Kara was left to go to the lake with Lena, alone. 

 

Lena had stripped off to her under tights and undershirt and was kneeling in the water, washing her arms and face. 

 

She kept glancing at Lena every so often, and she thought she was being discreet until Lena smiled, “Are you okay, Robin?”

 

“Hm?” Kara pulled her eyes from Lena’s body to her face, looking away in shame when she realised she had been caught. “I’m good.”

 

“Is there something you want to ask?”

 

“No, I-“ Kara thought about asking about the scar on Lena’s shoulder blade or even the one just above her right eye, but decided against it. “You’re beautiful.” Kara scolded herself as soon at the words had left her lips, wishing she had just asked about the scars. “Sorry,”

 

“Why are you apologising?” Lena frowned. “I’m flattered.”

 

“But I was looking at you when I shouldn’t have been, for that I’m sorry.”

 

“You can look at me whenever you want.” Lena said, prompting Kara to look up at her through her eyelashes. 

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, princess.”

 

“Yeah,” Lena hummed, grabbing her clothes. “Probably not.”

 

But Kara didn’t look away, and Lena made no attempt to hide herself. 

 

“We’re, uh, stopping in at Midville in a few days, we’re going to have to blindfold you, someone Important to us lives there and we can’t risk-“

 

“I understand.” Lena assured, pulling on her breeches. “Let’s head back.”

 

—

 

They were two days out of Midville when they were attacked, this time by the Daxamite clan. 

 

They were walking, the horses freely trotting alongside them, Kara was laughing at something Barry had said when they were surrounded.

 

“Give us the girl, Hood.” Mike ordered and Kara couldn’t help but roll her eyes. This man was even more incompetent than Maxwell. 

 

“Do you trust me?” Kara whispered and Lena looked her square in the eyes. Kara honestly expected her to say no, but was surprised when Lena nodded. “Good.”

 

Kara pulled an arrow from her quiver and grabbed Lena, stabbing the end into her throat. 

 

“I’m sure the queen wouldn’t be happy if you got her daughter killed.” Kara growled, glaring at Mike from under her hood. “Don’t start something that will get your men killed, Mike.”

 

Mike laughed that obnoxious laugh. “We have you surrounded, you seriously think you stand a chance. And you would never hurt an innocent, it is what has held you back all these years, Hood.”

 

Within a blink of an eye Lena had broke free and disarmed Mike with her own bow, taking her crew by surprise. 

 

Lena loaded another arrow, training it on Mike. “No one moves.” She ordered. “You’re that moronic Prince from Daxam.”

 

Kara and her crew took initiative and stood back to back, giving them a three-sixty view of the Daxamites.

 

“My reputation proceeds me,” Mike grinned a grin her probably thought was charming. “Yours, however, has not done you justice. I had no idea you were so good with a bow.”

 

“I’ve spent weeks with the best bandits in all the lands.” Lena rolled her eyes at Mike. “Of course I learned how to use a bow.”

 

“You would rather be out here with these- these vermin than be back at that nice castle?”

 

“That is no concern of yours,” Lena shot back. “You have six more men then we do, and you saw what I can do with a bow, now imagine what these guys can do. You would all be dead before you even reached us.” 

 

“Enough of this,” Mike’s right hand man growled, moving toward the crew but before her could take more than a step an arrow whistled over Lena’s shoulder and embedded in his shoulder, making him scream out in pain. 

 

Kara had already reloaded her bow when Lena glanced over at her, she offered Lena a little half smile, telling her she wasn’t worried. 

 

“We will come back for you, Hood, with an army this time.”

 

“I like a challenge,” Kara grinned at the man. “Bring your army. Hell, bring a many armies, the thing about being a bandit is that you know how to elude armies.”

 

The crew didn’t drop their bows until Mike and his men were on their horses and heading away from them. 

 

“That shot was amazing,” Kara gushed, turning to Lena with an impressed smile. 

 

“I was aiming for his hand,” Lena admitted, making the crew laugh. 

 

“Well, it was still a great accidental shot,” Sam said, slinging her arm around Lena’s shoulder. “You might make a great bandit yet, princess.” 

 

Kara watched them leave, that impressed smile slackening into a soft smile that, thankfully, only Barry noticed, Alex too busy frowning at the duo and Winn had already made his way to his horse. 

 

“Let’s get going, we can make it to Midville in two days.” Barry nudged her shoulder with his as he walked past.

 

They reached Midville by midday two days later, having blindfolded Lena two hours away from the house. 

 

Kara helped Lena off the horse, reaching up for lift the blindfold before Lena could, her fingers brushing against Lena’s cheek. Kara smiled down at the squinting girl. “Sorry,”

 

“It’s okay,” Lena assured. “You did what you had to do, I understand.”

 

Kara nodded slowly, opening her mouth to say something but the words died in her throat when someone called her name, or her bandit name. 

 

Kara quickly took a step away from Lena, only now realising how close they were.

 

“Robin! Alex, Sam!” A young girl called, running straight for Kara and throwing herself into her arms. 

 

Kara laughed, easily pulling the young girl up to sit on her hip. “Jeez, Ettie, look how big you’ve gotten.” 

 

“I’m almost as big as Alex when she was six, ma said.” The girl jutted out her chin proudly. 

 

“Only a few more years and you’ll be riding beside us.” Kara teased as Lena came up beside her. 

 

“Not happening in a million years, Robin.”

 

Lena tensed at the voice but relaxed when Kara rolled her eyes. 

 

“I’m joking, mom.”

 

Lena looked from Kara to the woman in front of them, more than a little shocked. 

 

“How are you guys? Are you eating properly?”

 

Kara was holding Ettie and Alex was at the back of the crew so Eliza fussed over the first person she came across, which so happened to be Sam. 

 

“We are, ma’am. We just stopped by with some riches.” Sam assured, relishing in the attention from a mother figure. 

 

Eliza glanced at Lena before glaring at Kara. “Do I want to know why you have the princess of National City with you?”

 

“It is no big deal, we are returning her home.”

 

Eliza nodded, turning her attention to Lena. “Are they caring for you, dear? I don’t have to slap my daughters upside the head, do I?”

 

“Mom,” Kara huffed in a voice Lena never thought she would hear from the elusive Robin Hood.

 

Lena was surprised at the concern of the woman, glancing at Kara and Alex. “No, ma’am. They have been more than accommodating.” Lena assured, her eyes landing on Kara, who smiled softly at her. 

 

“Good!” Eliza clapped her hands. “Now, come inside. Wash up, I will put extra on for supper.”

 

Dinner was how it always was in the Danvers household; loud, full of laughter and love, and Kara could tell Lena was overwhelmed. 

 

“Hey,” Kara ducked her head to look at the woman beside her. “Are you okay?” 

 

“I am,” Lena assured with a soft smile. 

 

“Would you like more rum?” Kara asked, offering the bottle that her mother had sat in between her and Alex, knowing what her daughters were like.

 

“Please,” 

 

Kara poured a generous amount into Lena’s cup, then into her own. 

 

“Thank you,” Lena smiled as she brought the cup up to her lips. 

 

Kara smiled back, her eyes flickering to Lena’s lips before she turned her attention back to the table, catching her mother’s eye. Eliza smiled knowingly at her. 

 

Kara knew that was going to come up again. 

 

They stayed later than expected and Eliza made up beds for everyone all over the small house. Alex and Sam had Alex’s old room, Lena and Kara had Kara’s (Kara knew that was planned), and Barry and Winn had the floor of the living room. 

 

Kara didn’t go to bed with everyone else, instead finding herself out of the porch, taking swigs straight out of the bottle of rum. 

 

“Are you taking this girl back to a safe environment?” Eliza asked, coming up beside Kara, placing a full bottle of rum on the surface beside the girls arm. 

 

“It’s her mother,”

 

“That isn’t an answer.” Eliza said. “Now, Kara, you are the kindest, more pure hearted person I know, if there is even any doubt of this girls safety, you can’t take her back.”

 

“You don’t understand, mom, the queen will have my head if I don’t. If I do the crimes of the crew are wiped clean.” Kara said, curling her fingers around the bottle. 

 

“Okay, that is fair reasonings.” Eliza hummed. “But I saw how you were looking at her today, little Hood. That was a look I never thought I would see from you.”

 

“It’s nothing, mom.”

 

“I know you have this odd belief that you aren’t deserving of love, Kara. But if that were really true then the universe wouldn’t be offering it to you.”

 

“This is just a job, mom. It has to be, because it is the only way I know to protect my crew.”

 

Eliza sighed sympathetically. “You carry a lot with these guys, don’t you?”

 

“They are my family, I will protect them at any and all costs.”

 

“She’s a nice girl, that princess. Not a bad person to fall in love with.”

 

“It’s not love, mom.” Kara said. “I’m handing her off to the queen in a few weeks, I have to to protect what I truly love.”

 

Eliza nodded. “Okay. But remember, Kara, love is a rare thing, something you must grasp and never let go of. That and you have outsmart anyone you have come up against, you could do it again.” Eliza kissed Kara’s forehead and disappeared inside. “Goodnight, dear.”

 

Kara rested her forearms against and uncapped the new bottle with her teeth, putting the cork on the surface. 

 

She was alone for all of ten minutes, and was more than a little buzzed, when the cabin door opened. Kara prayed it was anyone but Lena, she didn’t think she could face her drunk. 

 

“Your mother said you had something to help me sleep,” Lena commented. “But it doesn’t look like you are partial to sharing.”

 

Kara held the bottle behind her, and Lena accepted the alcohol, moving to stand beside Kara. 

 

“Are you okay?” Kara asked, side eyeing Lena as she took gulp of the rum and barely flinched. “Not your first time?”

 

“My mother is a horrible, abusive person, what do you think?” Lena arched an eyebrow as she handed the bottle back. “I’m fine, I just couldn’t sleep. Your mother came in to check on me and said you were out here.”

 

“Of course she did,” Kara hummed, taking a few gulps of the rum. 

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Fine,”

 

“You’re wrestling with something,” Lena noted.

 

“Always,” Kara answered, handing the bottle back to Lena. 

 

“Anything I can help with?”

 

“No,” 

 

They passed the bottle between them for a little while longer, no noise around them other than the occasional animal. 

 

“She isn’t going to hurt you, you know?” Kara said after a while. “I won’t allow it.”

 

“No offence, Robin, but once I’m there there is nothing you can really do about it.”

 

“I am not going to allow any harm to come to you,” Kara said again, and Lena actually found herself believing her, even with her slight sway and bleary eyes.

 

“Why? I’m just a job, aren’t I?”

 

“I am no huntsman, I told your mother as much. I am taking you back but not for her to hurt you.”

 

“Of anyone who could have kidnapped me, I’m glad it was you and your crew.” Lena said and Kara laughed, dropping her head to look at the grass in front of the porch. “I have almost had fun.”

 

“I think you did, when we robbed Vandal.” Kara kinked an eyebrow at Lena, downing a large portion of rum. 

 

“You know, I did. It was exciting. Fun.”

 

Kara nodded, turning her head to look at Lena, who was already staring at her with lazy eyes and a soft smile. 

 

Kara found herself licking her lips, her eyes flickering down to Lena’s, which seemed to catch the girls attention. 

 

Lena was leaning in, too, Kara knew as much, but before they could kiss she pressed her palmed against Kara’s shoulder, halting her immediately. 

 

“Don’t do this,” Lena whispered, looking at her with hooded eyes. 

 

“Why?” Kara replied, finally lifting her eyes from Lena’s lips to her eyes.

 

“Because you’re going to hand me back to my mother and I will never see you again, and I fear that fate is worse than death.” Lena’s voice quivered and Kara’s heart sunk. 

 

Kara let her head fall against Lena’s, her hand cupping her cheek. “I’m sorry it had to be this way,” she said, closing her eyes. 

 

“In another life I think we could have had something really special,”

 

“Yeah, I do, too.” Kara agreed, pressing a lingering kiss to Lena’s forehead, squeezing her eyes closed to prevent any tears from falling. “You take the bed, I will bunk with Barry.”

 

“Goodnight, Kara.” Lena said solemnly. 

 

“Goodnight, princess.”

 

Kara stayed outside for a few minutes after Lena before headed in, sliding into the makeshift bed Barry was snoring in. 

 

“Kara?” Barry frowned, his voice gruff and sleepy. “Okay?”

 

“No,”

 

That seemed to wake Barry up immediately, his eyes squinting to see Kara in the dull light of the dying fire. “What is it?”

 

“Lena,”

 

“Kara,” Barry sighed, pulling her in for a hug. “You know we don’t have to do any of this. We have dealt with the queen before, we can do it again.”

 

“Everything we have ever done, Barry, forgotten. We can’t pass that up.”

 

“You know we would fall you to the end of the earth, Kara. Regardless of what it is, we are behind you.” 

 

“I know,” 

 

“So, is it love?”

 

“I think it probably could be, if we had time.”

 

“You can always make time.”

 

“Not this time. If this goes well then any one of us could make home in National City, if bandit life is too much for us.”

 

“Is that what this is about?” Barry frowned. “You think that we resent you because we can’t settle down anywhere?”

 

“Don’t you?”

 

“Kara, home for us isn’t a place. It’s this,” Barry motioned between the two of them, pointing directly at Kara’s heart. “This love, you gave us a family when none of us really had one, you gave us something to live for. You gave us a home, you _are_ home to us, Kara.”

 

Kara felt a lump form in her throat at those words. 

 

“We have your back Kara, unconditionally. Don’t do this,” Barry seemed to be almost begging her. “She makes you happy, all of us can see as much. And you deserve to be happy.”

 

“I am! I’m happy with the crew, what we do; we help people.”

 

“Yeah but there are just some voids nothing but falling in love can fill.” 

 

Kara knew he was right, he knew everyone was right, and it was ultimately down to her, this was a choice she had to make on her own.


	5. Chapter 5

Kara was up at first light, tiptoeing around Barry and Winn, both still asleep on the floor, and grabbing her bow.

 

“Ka-Robin?”

 

Kara turned to Ettie with a soft smile. “Hey, little duck.”

 

“Where’ya going?” The girl asked, sleepily rubbing her eyes.

 

“Out to hunt some meat,” Kara glanced up at the girl as she pulled on her boots. “Wanna come?”

 

“Yes, please.” The girl perked up immediately, rushing off to get her boots.

 

They set off into the forest surrounding the house, Ettie much lighter on her feet then she used to be as a kid.

 

“Why do you have the princess with you?”

 

“It’s a little complicated, Harriette.”

 

“Is she in your group now?”

 

“No, we are taking her back home.” Kara explained. “See, she ran away, Ettie, and her mom needs her home.”

 

“So, you are doing good?” Ettie asked with a large, proud grin.

 

Kara felt her stomach twist at the sight. No. No, she wasn’t doing good, and she knew that, deep inside. She knew that there was something off, but she meant what she had said, she would not let her mother hurt her.

 

“It is not all good and bad, Ettie, there is a middle ground.”

 

Ettie frowned curiously. “Ma said you and Sam, and Alex, and the boys are good. You break the law, which is usually bad, but not how you guys do it.” Ettie grinned widely.

 

Kara sighed, taking a seat on a nearby fallen and rubbing her hands over her face, feeling a little tender from all the alcohol last night, Lena’s words still running through her head. _A fate worse than death._

 

“Kara?” The young girl frowned, making her way over to Kara, hopping onto the log. “Is it bad?”

 

“No, no.” Kara lied with a convincing smile, wrapping an arm around Ettie‘s shoulder. “Thing is, kid, I don’t really know what to do. I have two conflicting thoughts in my head, I don’t know which to go with.”

 

“Can I help?”

 

“I wish,” Kara gave the girl a little squeeze.

 

“Ma said she was set to marry a prince.” Ettie said. “Do you not want her to?”

 

“I don’t think she wants to,” Kara answered honestly.

 

“Why not? Isn’t that how it is supposed to be?” Ettie tilted her head curiously. “Princess marries a prince.”

 

“In conventional tales, yes.” Kara hummed. “But some people, like Alex and Sam, don’t want a prince.”

 

“So, Lena is like Alex and you?”

 

“More like Alex, she doesn’t like prince’s at all.” Kara explained.

 

“So, why are you taking her home?”

 

“I promised I would,”

 

Ettie frowned. “But surely it’s better to break a promise for good, than keep it for bad?”

 

“Yeah,” Kara huffed our a laugh, hanging her head. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

 

“Do you think she wants to marry you?”

 

Kara’s eyes snapped up to Ettie, who was looking up at her with wide, innocent eyes.

 

“No, no. It isn’t like that.”

 

“But you look at her like Ma looked at pa.”

 

Kara’s heart tightened at the mention of Jeremiah. Ettie had been three when her mother died and Eliza and Jeremiah had taken her in.

 

Jeremiah had died when Ettie was five, and Alex and Kara were over a months ride away when they found out, they didn’t get back until three months after it had happened.

 

Ettie and her mother had already grieved, so it was odd to be grieving for a man while half the family were not at that stage anymore.

 

“And she looks at you the same, too.” Ettie added.

 

“I wish it was simple as it seems, Ettie.”

 

“Why can’t it be?”

 

“Her mom said she would hurt us if we didn’t bring her back.”

 

“A lot of people want to hurt you,” Dottie shrugged. “No one ever does.”

 

“Yeah,” Kara hummed. “That seems to be everyone’s reasoning.”

 

“She’s pretty,” Ettie commented.

 

“Yeah, she is.”

 

Ettie nodded. “Can we get food? I’m starving.”

 

That was one of the few perks of having a conversation with an child, they jumped from topic to topic quickly.

 

“Let’s got,”

 

Everyone was awake by the time they arrived back with five rabbits, sitting around the table drinking tea.

 

“What have I told you about taking her on hunts?” Eliza scolded.

 

“She wanted to come, and she has to learn how to provide for herself.” Kara dropping the rabbits onto the table. “Breakfast.”

 

They ate their breakfast and said goodbye, Eliza fussing over Lena, making sure she had eaten enough and telling her not to take any shit from her daughters, but also to make sure they were eating okay because they had a tendency to forget.

 

Lena smiled, glancing shyly over at Kara just in time to see her roll her eyes.

 

They made camp come nightfall, and Lena and Kara had barely even glanced at each other never mind speak to one and other.

 

Kara didn’t sleep much that night, gaining a worried frown from Alex when she went to wake her for her watch.

 

There was something buzzing under her skinaround Lena now, every when they weren’t even close.

 

Kara didn’t know love, not of this type, but she figured that maybe this was what the beginnings of love felt like.

 

The voices of her mother, Barry, and Sam echoed in her head, the idea of not taking Lena back to the castle was running through her head.

 

She knew it was stupid, selfish even. This deal could exonerate her family from everything that they have done, they would be relatively free in National City.

 

But she didn’t trust the queen, she didn’t trust that Lena wouldn’t get hurt, or even killed.

 

It was rare that they were attacked by other bandits, most tend to skirt around them, knowing enough about the group that they didn’t want to engage in any kind of combat.

 

The bandits they ran into just outside Star City were either new or didn’t care who they were when they surrounded their camp.

 

Kara sighed when the head bandit made himself known. She wasn’t in the mood for talking, so she stood, pinning the man by his cloak against the tree he was leaning on before anyone could react.

 

“I’m not in the mood for some amateur bandits.” She snapped, the rest of her crew scrambling to their feet and loading their bows, levelling them on the eight bandits surrounding them.

 

The lead bandit yanked himself free, tearing his cloak. “The mighty Robin Hood.”

 

“So you are aware of us, yet your are stupid enough to try this bullshit.” Alex said.

 

“You know what you’re worth, Hood? Not just to Lord, or Daxam, but the queen. I think you are going to have a lot of crews attacking you.”

 

“Okay, enough talking,” Kara let her arrow fly, the tip piercing the man’s shoulder, effectively starting a fight she knew this other crew couldn’t finish.

 

She and Lena stayed close, almost back to back as they fought.

 

Kara noticed the arrow pointed at Lena before Lena did, grabbing Lena and pulling her out of the way, causing the arrow to embed itself into Kara’s shoulder.

 

Kara’s shoulder flew back at the impact, and a hiss of pain left Kara’s mouth.

 

Lena shot the bandit a few feet away. “Robin, are you okay?” Lena asked, eyeing Kara with worried eyes.

 

“Not my first arrow wound, Princess.” Kara grinned crookedly, the pain still obvious in her eyes as she shot one of the bandits riding past on a horse.

 

“You did that for me,” Lena frowned, shooting over Kara’s shoulder at a man running at them with a sword, the feathers of the arrow nicking Kara’s cheek, but she didn’t even finch. “Why would you do that?”

 

“If you can’t take an arrow for a pretty girl then what kind of hero would you be?”

 

Lena stared at Kara, shaking her head slightly. “You’re incogitable.”

 

“What-“ Kara frowned, rolling her eyes when she noticing one of the men running at her from the corner of her eye. She ducked under his sword, the tip of one of her arrows finding its way into his neck. Kara levelled her eyes back on Lena. “What is that supposed to mean?”

 

Lena’s eyes moving briefly to the bandit on the floor before returning to Kara, her eyes hard.

 

“You do stuff like this, you have to stop.”

 

“Stop what? Keeping you _alive.”_

 

“You know what you’re doing,” Lena jabbed her finger into Kara’s shoulder, seemingly forgetting that the rest of the group were still fighting off bandits around them. “Please, _stop.”_

 

Kara softened at the pleading look in Lena’s eyes, stepping closer to her. “I can’t.”

 

“Robin,” Lena whispered, unsure of what else to really say.

 

“Robin. Heads up, five o’clock.” Barry’s voice hollered from behind them and Kara reacted immediately, her hand outstretched to catch the sword she hadn’t even seen yet. Kara’s fingers curled around the grip and she spun around, stabbing blindly to a spot just to Lena’s left, catching a bandit just before he got Lena with a dagger.

 

The were closer now, their chest pressed together as they breathed heavily. Kara shook the sword and the body drop to the ground, her eyes flickering from Lena’s eyes to her lips and back again. “I _can’t.”_ Kara said again, this time more forcefully.

 

“Why?” Lena breathed, her eyes flickering over Kara’s shoulder briefly. “Three, two, one.”

 

Kara adjusted her grip on the sword and swung it backward on one, impaling the bandit coming at them. Kara grunted as she pulling the sword free.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

Lena huffed out a humourless chuckle, shaking her head. “Fuck you.” Lena yanked the arrow from Kara’s shoulder before loading it into her bow and turned from Kara, sending an arrow into the neck of the bandit Sam was fighting.

 

Kara watched her leave, pain clenching in her chest but she pushed it aside and went back to fighting.

 

Lena disappeared after the fight, going off to clean up with Winn.

 

Alex perched Kara on a nearby rock and began cleaning and bandaging the wound, which Kara fought the lump in her throat.

 

“I don’t think I can take her back,” Kara admitted.

 

“ _What_?” Alex snapped, her eyes shooting up from Kara’s wound to her eyes. “The queen will kill us.”

 

“She had been trying for years, Alex. And Lena, she really doesn’t want to go back.”

 

“Tough luck, she has too.” Alex argued, motioning to Sam. “Sam?”

 

Sam sighed, shrugging sheepishly. “I agree with Kara.”

 

“What?”

 

“Come on, Alex. She is a good person, and good with the team. I think we could use her.” Sam reasoned. “I don’t want the death of the princess on my conscience if we take her back and her mother kills her.”

 

“We aren’t bounty hunters, Alex.” Barry added. “I say we keep her.”

 

“She isn’t some stray fucking dog we can just keep,” Alex growled. “She is the daughter of the most powerful woman in the land, the queen will find and kill us.”

 

“Could you live with yourself if you took her back?” Kara asked, looking uncharacteristically small as she rubbed her arm, looking at Alex through her eyelashes. “‘Cause I don’t think I can.”

 

“When did you all decide this?”

 

“We didn’t, not as a team.” Kara answered.

 

“Tell us you aren’t attached?” Sam said. “You’ve spent time with her, teaching her how to shoot, she has saved you life, _all_ of our lives, on more than on occasion.”

 

“It doesn’t matter if I’m attached, we need to not being National City’s most wanted.”

 

“We are the entire realms most wanted.” Kara snapped, raising her voice slightly. “You don’t like that you leave, because we will always be most wanted here. But this is something we decide as a group, unanimously.”

 

Alex’s eyes scanned her friends before she sighed, shaking her head. “Fine, but this is only going to bring us trouble.”

 

“I was a run away from an orphanage, one that wanted me dead. Barry had a bounty on his head, Winn’s father has spent years trying to kill him.” Sam reasoned, shrugging her shoulders. “Doesn’t Lena deserve a chance?”

 

Alex conceded. “She does, but the queen is powerful, she will catch up to us.”

 

“Good, there is something satisfying about taking out Crowns Guards.” Sam said with a cheeky little grin.

 

Alex didn’t smile, staring at her sister who was still not he log, almost curled into herself, still rubbing her bicep as she stared unfocused at the dirt. “Kara?”

 

Kara lifted her eyes to look at her sister, her eyebrows rising questioningly. “Yeah?”

 

“What’s wrong with you?”

 

“Nothing,” Kara rolled her shoulder as she stood. “I’m going to go talk to Lena.”

 

Lena and Winn were both sitting on the bank of the river, both in silence.

 

Winn glanced back as Kara approached, offering her a little smile as he stood, patting her shoulder and left.

 

Kara took up Winn’s seat, staring out at the fast flowing river.

 

“I’m sorry I pulled the arrow out.” Lena apologised. “That wasn’t okay.”

 

“It’s okay, better fast, right?” Kara shrugged. “I talked to the crew, we aren’t going back.”

 

Kara felt Lena turn to her, but she didn’t take her eyes off the water.

 

“You can stay with us, if that’s what you want. If not then it is up to you what you do.” Kara turned to Lena, offering her a little smile. “Whatever you want to do, princess.”

 

Lena nodded slowly. “I think we should go back to the palace.”

 

“You… what?” Kara frowned. “But- but she could hurt you.”

 

“She will hurt you guys,” Lena said. “You made a deal, stick to it.”

 

“But, Lena-“ Kara tried to argue but before she could make any of the points she had in her mind Lena was kissing her. Kara squeaked in surprise, her hands finding Lena’s shoulders to brace herself.

 

“Stick to the deal,” Lena breathed against her lips.

 

“She could hurt you,” Kara frowned, breathless, as she pulled back, looking at Lena with hooded eyes.

 

“I don’t think you would let that happen.” Lena smiled at her. “You take me back and I run away again. You’ve stuck to the deal.”

 

“This is a bad idea,”

 

“You’re full of bad ideas, Hood.” Lena chuckled. “I will find you again when I escape.”

 

“There is so many ways this could go wrong,”

 

“Like every plan you’ve ever come up with.”

 

“None of those have a high chance of getting you killed,” Kara pointed out. “I can’t lose you.”

 

“Why?” Lena whispered, her fingertips tracing Kara’s jaw.

 

Kara’s eyes fluttered at the contact. “You know why,” Kara replied in a soft voice.

 

“Yeah, it’s the same reason I’m going back to the castle, just like the deal said.”

 

Kara sighed, her forehead falling against Lena’s. “I will go talk to the crew, we will come up with a plan.”

 

Lena nodded softly, her hand on Kara’s neck as she ducked her head to kiss her again. “I trust you,” Lena assured.

 

Kara nodded in reply, her mind reeling as she tried to come up with any kind of plan that would stop Lena from getting herself killed.


End file.
